Documentation of Urn Graves of Knovíz Culture by RPAS

Jaroslav Šedina, Eliška Housarová, Eva Matoušková

Abstract

This paper deals with the documentation, positional determination of urn graves of the Knovíz culture (1200 - 1000 BC), and geometric and positional determination of tumulus at the archaeological site located near the village Ctiněves, in the Usti region in the Czech Republic. Several hundred urn graves are located in the archaeological site and it is one of the biggest burial sites of Knovíz culture in the Czech Republic. RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) was used for the documentation and positional determination of urn graves and tumulus. RPAS was equipped by visible spectral range, two near-infrared range, multispectral and thermal camera (one camera for a single flight). The result is a unique data set documenting this archaeological site. Thanks to the suitable winter and spring conditions in 2016 urn graves and tumulus could be detected on the basis of vegetation symptoms. The paper is also focused on how to process the data and creation of a differential digital surface model.